Most academic disciplines emphasize the importance of their general theories. Examples of general theories include the Big Bang theory, Maxwell's equations, the theory of the cell, the theory of evolution, the theory of demand and supply, but among the general theories are also found theories with names such as the general theory of crime and the theory of marriage, both well-established within their respective fields. Few general theories of software engineering have, however, been proposed, and none have achieved significant recognition. The main consequence of a lack of theory is a craft, limited to problem solving by trial-and-error and rules-of-thumb. Its knowledge base cannot be used for other than the most rudimentary predictions. This, in turn, means that its innovations can only be tested in vivo, which can be both expensive and painful. The long list of well-known software failures is a testament to the tradition of trial-and-error. Theory addresses this problem, because a theory is a system of rules that mimics the real world, but cheaply and without pain. Theory can provide answers to questions that otherwise might be prohibitively expensive. A general theory of software engineering would ideally advise against costly error before the trial begins.

This workshop, organized by the SEMAT initiative, aims to provide a forum for discussing the concept of a general theory of software engineering. The topics considered include the benefits, the desired qualities, the core components and the form of a general theory. The workshop follows GTSE 2012, held in November 2012 in Stockholm, Sweden, and GTSE 2013, held in May 2013 in conjunction with the ICSE 2013 in San Fransisco.

To allow submissions of both developed research and of early ideas, GTSE solicits two categories of papers: (1) 12-page research papers and 4-page position papers. All papers will be published in the ACM and IEEE Digital Libraries. The papers must follow ICSE formatting guidelines: